Read Online The Bachelor and the Beauty Queen by Carolyn Hector - Free Book Online Page A

indicated a strong Wi-Fi connection came from Grits and Glam Gowns, but of course it was password protected. He debated for a moment, trying to guess the code. Tiara? Dresses? Highly Inappropriate Dresses? Nah, too long , he decided. Besides, after further review of what he’d seen the two times he’d been inside the store, most dresses appeared to cover every inch of a woman’s leg.
    The image of Lexi’s long legs entangled in his sheets entered his mind, stiffening his body. Stephen shook his head. What he needed to do was clear his mind. Maybe a walk to City Hall would help. Sunshine blinded him the moment he opened the doors. With one hand, Stephen covered his eyes. The large bakery sat nestled between the coffee shop on one side and Lexi’s on the other. The neighbors on his block consisted of a jewelry store, a shoe repair store and a florist before he reached a crosswalk. Every step or two, Stephen found himself taking another picture of each business, impressed with the quaint feel of downtown. He began to cross the street and lift his hand to wave at the man sweeping the top two steps of a restaurant. Black buckets of long-stemmed roses lined the wooden railing and sent out a sweet floral scent.
    â€œAfternoon.” Stephen lifted his hand.
    The elderly man pressed his lips together as if deciding to acknowledge Stephen’s greetings. “You jaywalked,” he finally said in a gruff voice, his mouth turned down into a frown.
    â€œSorry, in a bit of a hurry to get to City Hall.”
    â€œYou can rush all you want,” said the old man. “You won’t get anywhere today. Most everyone closes up on Sundays. These are things you might want to know since you’re new in town.”
    â€œI stick out that much?” asked Stephen. He slid his hands in his pockets.
    â€œYou don’t have to wear overalls—” the man frowned again “—but you may want to invest in some new threads.”
    â€œThanks for the advice,” he replied. He stepped forward and extended his right hand. “I’m Stephen.”
    â€œYes, Reyes,” the man said, accepting Stephen’s hand with a firm shake. “I remember your brother—great man. You may call me Dave.”
    â€œThanks for the kind words, Dave—” Stephen nodded his head “—and for letting me know what’s the deal around here.”
    â€œAnytime.” Dave went back to sweeping, but Stephen stood still for a moment.
    â€œNice flowers.” Stephen nodded his head toward the buckets. “Got anything else?”
    * * *
    The bells over the front door jingled and out of the corner of her eyes Lexi watched everyone turn—everyone but Philly. The five-year-old remained focused. Lexi tried to regain her composure, but the image of Stephen Reyes waltzing into her store for the third time now gave her butterflies in the pit of her stomach. He wore a white button-down shirt, open at the throat, sleeves rolled up. A dark jacket hung over one forearm and he grasped a couple of flowers. White tissue paper covered the parcel cradled in his arms.
    â€œAll right, Philly.” Lexi cleared her throat to recuperate. “I want you to remember there will be a couple pieces of masking tape on the stage in the form of an X. I put some down today for your markers but I want you to practice not having to look at them. Let’s try a front T-formation. Pretend the judges are over there.” Lexi pointed toward her right, where Nate and Kimber sat. The space Andrew and Chantal had created included a long stage stretching from one side of the room to the other and enough room outward for the girls to walk forward and work their talents.
    In an attempt to point, her hand swatted against Stephen’s hard chest. For some reason, Lexi mumbled an apology. He needed to apologize. He needed to be anywhere but here.
    â€œYes, ma’am,” Philly said sweetly.
    â€œHi, baby